Dark Shadows from a Pathless Road
by LuisLass
Summary: Toukiden 2 Story - A few years after the big battle against Tokiwa-no-Orochi, the third Captain of Mahoroba Village lives somewhat peaceful days, together with his friends and comrades. But after a twist from the destiny, he was dragged into the time lines again, this time being tossed into the future. To find a path back, he will live in the dark future waiting for him.
1. Chapter 1 - Twilight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Toukiden** **or its characters.**

 **Author's Notes:** _This is a little experiment I'm doing on a game I really love and that has so much potential for a sequel story._

 _Since a lot of terms used here can be a bit "alien" to anyone not familiar with Toukiden, I will leave a few notes on the bottom part explaining those. Anyway, if you are reading this, I hope you like this story and that you came to enjoy Toukiden as much as I do._

* * *

The third captain of Mahoroba Village's forces is a man capable of many things and miraculous actions, as per witnesses' accounts. But one of the things he is terrible at is taking a free time, sit a day or two away from his responsibilities, yet he finds himself in a situation where taking a rest is the only thing he can do, leaving the poor man almost crazy with boredom. Being a man of extraordinary talent and incredible strength, people tend to forget that he still is but a mere human, and like everyone else; he is vulnerable to catching a cold.

For the past day and night, the captain has been burning with intense fever, making his body weak and sluggish. For insistence of his comrades, he is laying on his bed waiting for the damned sickness to give away.

Even from his bed, the Slayer captain could hear a few energetic footsteps approaching his humble little house.

"Captain, captain!" A little girl barged inside the house, dragging a little boy with her. "Are you still feeling ill?" She asked with a worried expression.

The third captain of Mahoroba, a hero even among his Slayer comrades. He is a man of lean build, tall stature, and fair pale skin. His light-grey eyes carry a light on them that make his gaze special and impressive even when his is expression is down because of his sickness. To make his figure even more singular, he has a very long silky red hair, tied on a ponytail. Normally he would be using his black heavy breastplate with silver straps on the center, together with his black heavy leather leggings, and black steel gloves. However, in light of his high fever, he is stuck on a bed on his light-blue nightclothes.

The said captain raised his head, taking a sitting stance on his bed. "Hey Ayane-chan" He replied with a faint smile. "Sorry, but I'm still sick. You will have to ask another Slayer to help you." Even without much option, he still felt a bit guilty for turning the little girl down.

"B-but, I really wanted to see the snow." The girl said saddened and dejected.

"Ayane, we shouldn't impose on the captain." Said the boy scolding her, but he himself cannot hide the disappointment in his eyes.

"Don't say it like that Daichi-kun!" Ayane protested stomping on the floor. "You want to see it just as much as I want to." She waved her hands on the air while sticking her tongue out.

"Why I'm seeing two brats in here?" A woman with long brown hair entered the house. She didn't spare even a moment to start giving the two kids judging glares.

"Ahhh! We will see you later captain!" Yelled a scared Daichi, the boy grabbed his friend by the arm and dragged her out to the street.

"You scared them." The captain said with a short smirk.

"Good, that means that they are smart." The woman shot a glare at him too, but quickly her expression softened and her lips parted in a simple smile.

This woman is the respected Professor, the doctor of Mahoroba Village. She is a woman of short stature, fair skin, and slim body; which tends to make people make a wrong judgment of her real age. She is always wearing her long white coat on top of whatever set of clothes she fancies on the day, like today where she is using a simple traditional blue shirt with green shorts and her casual pair of leather shoes with open seam at the length of her toes. A giant black ribbon tied to her long hair and a mole under the left eye, are the most noticeable traits about her.

"Kurane you should try to be friendlier to others." Said the captain with a serious face. "That's why everyone is still afraid of you."

The woman cracked the fingers of her right hand, giving a cold stare to the man. "How many times I have to tell you to not call me by that name outside my house?"

The red-haired man gave her a puppy look and lay back on his bed. "Then let me stay at your place. I'm so sick here, look." He let out a fake cough, eying her from the side. "Poor me."

A low and long sigh escaped the Professor's lips; she stared at the captain with a deadpan look on her face. "Jin, we already talked about this." She said with a surprisingly calm and sweet voice. "If you stay at my house, then people will start to get the wrong idea."

"Wrong idea?" He said back, a bit of disappointment carrying on his voice. "It's wrong for them to find out about us or it is wrong to exist something between us in the first place?"

"Jin…" She felt a bit guilty after his response. Kurane would never think that her relationship with him is a mistake, but at the same time to come out about it to everyone else, is not something that she desires either.

"Oh, Professor! So you are here." A little Machina doll entered the house. "Hey there Captain, feeling better?"

Jin eyed his little friend and smiled. "A bit better Tokitsugu, thanks for asking."

Tokitsugu eyed the couple for a few seconds and quickly picked on the strange mood going on between them. "Should I return later?" He asked a bit unsure.

"No need for that." The Professor jumped in, turning away from Jin. "Seeing as you came looking for me, that means that everything is ready?"

"Yes ma'am, just finished packing things up." Tokitsugu did a quick ironic salutation. To which the Professor responded by slapping his hat downwards.

"Are you guys going somewhere?" Jin asked a bit worried. His eyes wandered from Kurane to Tokitsugu, waiting for an answer.

"My dear master has chosen to make a suicide trip towards the depths of the planet." Tokitsugu said in a joke, which again earned him a slap from his boss.

"We are going to study and gather a few Machina cores." She quickly noticed the look that her secret lover was giving her, with a quick spin she turned around to look at him. "Don't worry; we will be away for just a day."

"Tokitsugu-san, you take care of our good Professor, okay?" Jin eyed his Machina friend, giving him a serious stare.

Tokitsugu nodded. "You can leave it to me." He then tilted his head and looked to the woman at his side. "But if she keeps slapping me, I will leave her there alone." With no surprise, another quickly slapped soon sounded on his straw hat.

"You get proper rest and get better soon." Kurane said with a soft smile. "Mahoroba needs its hero." Without much else to say, the Professor left the house with Tokitsugu following her.

"Stay safe, Kurane." Jin whispered under his breath. Feeling a bit dizzy from his fever, the captain laid his head down and simply let his tiredness carry him to a deep sleep that he needs so much.

* * *

Jin stirred on his bed, his body still burning with high fever. He groaned in pain as he slowly wiggled in between his sheets. Feeling like the sleep was fading away from him; he opened his eyes, just to see a blond woman kneeled in front of his bed, staring away at his form.

"W-what, Aaaah!" The captain threw his hands upwards in shock, in the action he almost jumped out of his bed. "Gwen! By the heavens, you almost scared me to death."

"My sincere apologies, Captain." Gwen gave a quick bow of her head. "Benezuki-Sama asked me to see how you're faring."

Gwen is a foreigner Slayer, and that much is visible on her strange clothes and behavior. She wears silver breastplate on top of a bright white shirt with a small leather belt hanging on the height of her waist, on her shoulders lay a set of shoulder pieces of the same silver metal, which holds her red cape. He also wears a red and green mini skirt with a chess-like pattern, finally, she also uses long black legging socks and a pair of leather boots.

Jin eyed the girl with a strange look; he then scratched his head and sighed. "I appreciate the thought, but is a bit freaky to wake up and see someone watching me sleep."

Gwen at first only tilted her head to the side and stared at her captain with a confused expression, then she got a sudden realization, making her face turn bright red. "I-I didn't mean to disturb you." She said looking at the floor; her voice came out so loud that almost sounded like a shout. "Is just so rare to see you with a peaceful expression, I got a bit carried away."

"Hey, you…" Jin glared at her, now annoyed for a completely different reason. "I'm not grumpy."

"I didn't mean that." Gwen corrected herself, getting even more embarrassed. "Is just that the only times I got to see you so close, is on the field." She said, now looking at him. "And while fighting you always carry yourself with seriousness and dignity."

"Know what?" Jin sat on his bed, crossing his arms in front of his knees. "I will start to shot a few smiles at you every now and then." He grinned and gave her an eye smile. "Just like this."

His silly comment made the blond woman laugh, losing her embarrassment. "That would not be good." Gwen said with a smile of herself. "People will just think that you went mad."

"That and a certain samurai would want to stick his sword on my neck, right?" The captain threw a dirty leer to her, making the woman blush again.

"He is not like that." Gwen said looking down, but a warm smile on her lips. "He is so sweet and caring, that he would probably smile back to you."

"Lucky you then." Jin joked again. "Well, as you can see I'm feeling way better today. Go tell our gentle leader that she should not concern herself with me."

"But that would not be possible." A third voice sounded from outside. Soon after a beautiful woman walked in, carrying a gentle smile on her lips. "You're not only our third captain but also my precious friend."

"Oh, my Lady." Gwen said with a respectful bow.

"Benizuki-Sama." Jin said with a little bow. "What brings you to my humble house?" He asked more in a joke than a serious question.

Benizuki, the fearless leader of Mahoroba Village, once known as one of the Five Heroes; is an extremely gentle and caring woman and a powerful Slayer. Her skills are only outmatched by her looks, at times she looks more like a goddess than a normal person. After a few events on her life, she now is not wearing her usual blue combat outfit; instead, she is wearing a long light red dress, the fabric of her dress is soft and wide, making easy and comfortable for her to walk around with her belly as big as it is right now. She still is keeping her long and silky brown hair loose, but having a few new ribbons making themselves present on it.

"I'm forbidden of doing much these days since I'm a couple of months in." She slowly caressed her right hand on her belly, a tender smile on her lips. "And now you are stuck on a bed, so we can spend some time together. We help each other keep the boredom away."

"I can agree to that." Jin replied with a smile.

"Help! Please, someone, help!" A distressed voice cut the nice atmosphere away, making the three of them jump startled.

With a quick spin, Benizuki opened the door and walked outside. "What is going on?" She looked around, quickly noticing a small boy running from the gates towards the center of the Village.

"Somebody, please!" The boy called out again, large tears flowing down from his eyes.

"Daichi-kun?" Benizuki called out to the boy, who after noticing her began to run towards the pregnant woman.

"Benizuki-sama, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Daichi said, starting sob.

The gentle village leader pulled the boy to a motherly embrace, running her hand on his hair. "Daichi-Kun, calm down. Just explain what happened."

"Is Ayane-chan." Daichi pulled himself away from her, looking desperately to her eyes. "We went outside looking, and then an Oni appeared out of nowhere… I ran, I ran as fast as I could, But Ayane-chan couldn't escape with me."

"And why were you two outside of the barrier?!" Jin said in an irritated voice. He walked out to the street, carrying on his trusted sword and shield, but still wearing a normal civilian clothed outfit.

Daichi got startled at the man's words. He slowly turned his sight to him, ashamed look in his eyes. "Ayane-chan said that she wanted to find some herbs." The boy said in a low voice. "That would make you feel better."

The captain felt a bit guilty for yelling at the kid, they were just thinking about him. Jin walked towards Benizuki and Daichi, putting his right hand on top of the boy's head. "Where is she?" He asked with a calm voice.

"We didn't walk very far away." Explained the boy. "We went as far as the mine's entrance, then a large monster came running from inside."

"Don't worry about it kid, I will bring her back." Jin said with a confident grin, making the boy smile back to him.

"You are in no condition to go out on the field." Benizuki said loudly, her glare almost making the captain shake on his boots.

"That can be true, but look around us." Jin replied with the same tone. "There is no other Slayer besides Gwen in town. We can't possible sent her out there by herself."

"Worry not about me, captain." Gwen said with confidence. "Even if is a big Oni, I can just save the girl and ran for it."

"Not an option!" Jin yelled back, making the blond woman jump startled. "I may still be feeling a slight fever, but I'm fine now. You have to trust me, Benizuki."

The brown-haired woman kept staring at her captain, debating on her mind what the right thing to do is. "Like always." She responded with a smile.

"Beowulf, Arthur, Yamato!" Jin called out loudly for the name of his Mitamas. After a moment with his eyes closed, he stepped forward properly equipping his weapons on his hands. "Let's go, Gwen."

"Right after you, captain." The blond said, running after the red-haired man.

In no much than a few seconds, the two Slayers vanished away from beyond the Mahoroba's gates, leaving a startled and confused crowd behind them.

"Is Ayane-chan going to be fine?" Daichi asked with tears on his eyes.

"Let's pray that she will, let's pray." Benizuki said with a short smile, her worries now escalating from a missing child to her exhausted and ill captain on the field.

* * *

Not long after crossing the bridge from Mahoroba, the two Slayers arrived at the spot described by Daichi. A few imps are jumping around on the ground closer to the cliff, keeping their distance from the noises and gushes of air coming from the path forward.

Gwen quickly noticed the big shadowy figure rampaging up ahead, but to her surprise, Jin appears unaware of the creature's presence, instead, he is holding his head low while running at full speed. "Captain, look!" She called out to him, pointing with one hand.

The red-haired man followed her finger and finally noticed the rather big Oni slashing crazily onto a group of stones, the creature howling and roaring in burning anger. "A Skyshredder?" Jin said surprised. "How an Oni like that got so close to Mahoroba?"

A Skyshredder, the imposing monster in front of them, is a large Oni resembling a lion with blue fur and pink skin. This strange Oni is a powered version of a Windshredder that transformed into this fearsome state after consuming a considerable amount of souls.

"Where is Ayane-chan?" Gwen eyed to all sides, desperation getting to her.

"Focus Gwen." Jin scolded her with a harsh voice. "A Skyshredder is a predatory monster. He is not the kind to slash away on a stone formation for fun."

Gwen's eyes widened with the realization. "So, Ayane-chan is somewhere between those stones?"

"I will push the cat away, cover me." Jin jumped forward, wielding his sword in front of him. "Beowulf!"

" _At once."_ The prideful Mitama responded. _"Pierce the earth, with the might of my sword."_

Jin's black sword got infused with a bright blue light, carrying on its blade the power of the mighty hero Beowulf. The captain jumped high from the ground, with a quick swing of his right hand, the Demon-hand flew at a fast speed towards the large Oni. The transparent glowing green hand grabbed the monster by its tail, making the red-haired Slayer fly in an instant to the Oni.

"Get out of my sight, stupid cat!" As his body passed at high speed by the Skyshredder, Jin swung his sword with full strength, severing the monster's tail.

An ear-piercing screech escaped the monster's mouth, its sharp teeth gritting in anger. The Skyshredder jumped away from the stones, quickly turning to chase after the red-haired Slayer.

"Gwen go look for her." Jin yelled from the other side of the clearing. "I- I will keep this thing occupied." He said in between his jumps and flips, dodging masterfully the Oni's slashes.

With no hesitation, the blond Slayer quickly dashed towards the stones and as she approached them, she noticed a little hole, large enough to fit a small person. "Ayane-chan can you hear me?" Gwen called out for the little girl.

"Gwen-san?" The girl peaked her head out of the hole, her eyes wide with fear and large tears rolling down on her cheeks. "GWEN-SAN!" Ayane jumped out of the hole, running to the blond woman.

"You're safe now, we will take you back to-" Gwen froze up in place, as her eyes got a glimpse of the giant golden lion Oni rushing back to them. In a reflex action, she pulled the little girl close to her, embracing Ayane with both arms, waiting for the inevitable impact.

A ghostly green demon hand grasped a tree nearby the girls and in a moment notice; the third captain flew in, landing between the monster and its prey. "Arthur, please lend me your power."

" _Let the oath between us be a bulwark of light."_ Arthur responded with his stoic voice. _"Explode on my shield and be gone!"_

A dome of golden light engulfed the area around Jin, putting him and the two girls under its protection. The Skyshredder slashed in reckless abandon, jamming its blade-like claws on the pure light of Arthur's protection. However, the power of the beast paled in comparison of the legendary hero's power and in a little burst of golden bits, the Lion was expelled away, hitting its large back on the side of the big mountain.

"Gwen, take Ayane-chan back to the village." Jin said to his comrade, he only spared a quick glance to them; he cannot afford to take his eyes away from the monster.

"I will not leave you here." Responded Gwen, his voice coming as more defiant as she wanted.

"This is an order!" The captain yelled, his aggravated voice making the woman and the little girl jump. "Lister Gwen, I know you only mean to help. But we can't afford to fight an Oni like that with an innocent girl at our side."

"Captain…" Gwen eyed him with a conflicted look; she then looked down to Ayane. The little girl is terrified, her little hands are trembling with fear and her eyes are scanning everything around them. "Understood." She nodded and grabbed hold of the girl. Before the large Oni could regain its footing again, the blond Slayer began to run away, running as fast as her legs could, towards Mahoroba.

"Captain!" Yelled Ayane still on Gwen's arms.

Jin let out a sigh of relief after seeing Gwen carrying Ayane back to safety. His body getting heavier and heavier by the moment, the captain rested his sword on the grassy ground and tried to take long breaths to recover his energy.

" _What now, Aibō?"_ The voice of Yamato Takeru sounded on Jin's head. The legendary prince watched as his comrade stood still in place, large drops of sweat dripping from his chin. _"Aibō! Get a hold of yourself."_

"Sorry Yamato, I just spaced out for a moment." Jin said with a short smile.

" _Think you can handle that guy?"_ Yamato again noticed the increasing fatigue taking its toll on Jin's body.

"On a normal day? I could slay him with just one hand easily." The captain blinked three times, his vision getting hazy and blurred. "I think I have one more on me."

" _Then, let me help you on that."_ Yamato voice sounded clearer this time, then a transparent clone of Jin appeared in front of the Slayer. "One strike is all that we need."

Jin stood up on his feet again, holding his sword and shield high in front of him. "Tatsumaki no Kazaguruma, then?" He looked to his shadow clone, which only nodded back to him. "Let's end that thing." From the end of his black shield, a sharp blade appeared, transforming it into a metal claw attached to his left arm.

The Skyshredder jumped out of the ground, glaring furiously to the Slayer. After a maddening roar, the beast began to charge at the speed of the wing onto the red-haired man. In less than two seconds, the large Oni reached its target and with a full swing of its left claw, tried to cleave Jin in half.

The captain jumped over the monster's claw, his long hair graciously gliding a few inches from its blue fur. With a full spin of his body, Jin went sliding through the Skyshredder's full body slashing both of his weapons on the monster like a windmill's blades. Black blood and chunks of corrupted flesh flying away, dirtying the clear green grass beneath them.

A loud cry of anguish sounded on the clearing; The Skyshredder revealing its true body, the dark essence of the Oni coming out, after the outer shell of corrupted flesh got destroyed.

"Begone, fiend!" Yamato's voice came from Jin's clone. The slip image of the Slayer flew in, imitating the same attack that he just did. This time sparks of black and purple energy began to fly to the air, more screeches of pain coming from the large Oni.

In a desperate last action, before its death. The Skyshredder, thrashed wildly on the ground, throwing its claws to all sides. In one of these unpredictable attacks, one of the shredder's claws grazed on Jin's chest, tearing his shirt out and leaving shallow blood mark on his skin. Then in an explosion of light, the large Oni ceased to exist, leaving behind a large pool of miasma.

Jin fell on his back, his fever getting even worse.

"Aibō!" Yamato called out to him, the clone rushed to the Slayer's side. "Can you hear me?"

"I can…" Jin said in a low voice. "Yamato, please help me purify that miasma pool." He raised one hand towards his clone.

"Just get support on my shoulders." Yamato replied; even in the almost transparent appearance of the clone is possible to see a smirk on his lips. He grabbed the captain's hand and pulled him out of the grass.

With the help of his most trusted Mitama, Jin began to purify the Oni's miasma, killing that monster for good. Took no more than a few moments to the large and dark pool of purple miasma to disappear, and with it, all the traces of the Skyshredder.

"Wait, what is that?" Yamato noticed a new wave of energy appearing where once the miasma was.

A concentrated hole of miasma exploded in front of them, shooting dark lightning to the sides and pouring even more miasma on the area.

"A Miasma Hole!" With his mouth agape, Jin stared horrified at the evil energy. "So this is how an Oni that large appeared close to the village."

"We need to close it." Yamato said with an energetic voice. "Can you do it?"

"I have to." Jin responded with a grim expression on his face. The pain on his body is getting so severe, that even keeping his eyes open is taking everything on him. "Let's pray that I won't pass out, while… doing… it." The fever finally brought the Slayer down, and as his consciousness faded away, so did his clone and his support. With no support to hold him up, the red-haired captain began to fall down, his head going straight down to the miasma hole.

" _AIBŌ!"_ Yamato could only watch in horror, as the dark portal swallowed his partner. However, before Jin could completely disappear inside the miasma hole, his entire body poured a bright blue light, immediately purging the miasma hole away, but making the unconscious Slayer vanish to nowhere.

A few minutes after Jin closed the miasma hole, Gwen finally returned to the place, holding her sword and shield ready to help her captain. However, as the blond Slayer couldn't find the hated Oni or her red-haired friend.

"Where is he?" She scanned the grass after any clues to what happened in here. Then a little trace of blood caught her attention. Kneeling down on the dirtied ground, she followed the trail closely, until she found a very familiar shirt ripped apart and full of blood, both red and purple. "No… He couldn't be…" Gwen picked up the piece of cloth, her eyes tearing up at the sight. "Captain, where are you?"

* * *

Surrounded by darkness and without any reaction of his body, Jin waked up in the middle of a black lake. He tried to move his hands and his feet, but his body is trapped inside an invisible cage.

" **A single maggot crawled blindly inside my realm."** An eerie voice sounded from within the darkness.

Startled and confused, Jin scanned his surrounding searching for the source of this strange voice. Glancing right and left, but nothing else came into view, making the Slayer start to panic and begin to breathe heavily.

" **Ah, I see… The Traveler."** Four pairs of red glowing eyes appeared in front of the Slayer, the size of the glowing sharp orbs are immense, even one of those eyes are big enough to fit three of the man inside of them. **"I have observed your actions, your… meddling. However, nigh is the time for retribution, your sins shall not go unpunished."**

"Who- What are you?" Jin asked in a loud, defiant voice. The Slayer glared fiercely to the fiery red eyes, not waving in front of the mysterious force.

" **I'm your doom, I'm your salvation. My name lies forgotten, but my essence floods your world."** In a wave of raging fire, the red eyes vanished inside the darkness, the eerie voice still sounding in the dark. **"Rejoice your ignorance while you can, soon my name shall be spoken again and at that moment your world will be mine."**

Soon the darkness faded, a single ray of light banishing the void away from Jin's consciousness. His souls pulled back from the miasma and brought back to his body.

" _Aibō… Jin… Wake up!"_ Yamato's voice echoed inside Jin's head.

"Yamato?!" The red-haired captain asked confused. He slowly opened his eyes, waking up to a strange forest filled with purple and green trees. "Where are we?" Scratching his inching arm, Jin sits up, eying the strange place around him.

" _I can't say, but you should prepare yourself."_ The Mitama warrior warned his voice carrying a lot of seriousness to it. _"A group of people is watching you."_

His comrade's words startled the Slayer, he quietly scanned the tree and brushes closest to him. Took little time for him to confirm that someone is indeed watching him from the shadows, but the observers are not good in hiding their presence, as some of them keep steeping on dried twigs scattered on the ground.

Before anything else, Jin closed his eyes and felt his breathing, his chest expanded and retracted slowly. Without much explanation, his body is now completely fine, with the fever now gone and the tiredness that was hunting him the past days disappearing with the sickness. 'This is odd… but, I will not complain.' He slowly opened his eyes, feeling ever so glad for not be sick anymore. "You know if you want to spy on someone, try to make less noise." With a casual motion, Jin stood up on his feet, keeping himself in an open non-defensive form.

"He noticed us?!" A shocked voice came from one of the brushes.

"That is your fault, idiot." Another voice sounded from behind a tree. "Even a deaf could hear you stupid foot stomping on those twigs."

Four figures jumped from behind the shadows, landing in front of the red-haired man. As their feet reached the grassy ground, all of them poised themselves for battle, aiming their weapons towards the unknown man.

"State your name, and what you're doing here." The first one to talk is a young man with short spiky brown-hair; he is the tallest of the bunch and has sharp looking eyes. He wears a set of traditional clothes, a dark blue shirt with a dark-black long-sleeved undershirt beneath it; the lower part of his clothes consist of a pair of grey battle leather leggings with a few silver plates and dark blue boots. On his hands, he carries a large glaive, with a black long shaft and sharp long blade on the tip.

"Is he a refugee?" Said a young woman, a pitying look on her eyes. "Look, he is shirtless and is even bleeding." This girl has black silky hair, tied in a timid ponytail that goes as long as her shoulder. While she has a small body, her curvatures are fairly large and pairing with her smooth skin and pretty face makes her a very beautiful woman. She wears a red battle dress, with a large blue sash tied on her waist. A pair of long legging socks covers her legs, going from her hard leather boots all the way up to her dress' length. On her hands, she carries a long black spear with golden details carved on the shaft.

"Use your eyes for once, Kasumi." A second young man said with a harsh voice, scolding the girl for her naivety. "Look at his hands." This man has a long silky dark brown hair that he keeps loose, letting it simply glides down on his back. He uses a very peculiar set of armor; Dark black chest plate, that appears bruised and damaged by time, under this heavy armor he has a green undershirt. His pants are made of yellow-gold cloth, that somewhat looks loose on his legs, and finally, his bots are made of simple leather with red cords on the middle part. He carries a large familiar Rifle on his hands.

"Jun is right." The last one of the young warriors spoken up. "I never saw a shield like that… is amazing." A young man, with an easy-going demeanor, looks to the stranger with eager eyes. He has short spiky black hair with a large blue scarf wrapped on his forehead. He wears a long sleeved black and blue shirt, with thin metal plates on his arms. His longs pants have the same pattern and color of his shirt; and his shoes are dark grey, made of soft cloth with hard leather lines. A large Katana lies on the sheath tied on his waist with a red cord.

"I will not ask again." The man with the glaive stepped forward, his weapon inching ever so close to Jin's body.

"I mean you no harm if that is what you mean." Jin let out a soft smile and then with impressive speed, he swung his weapon in an arc, pushing the glaive away, startling the glaive-wielder.

"Oh, why didn't you said it sooner?" The young man with the rifle aimed at the slayer. "You take us for fools?"

"Look here kid, if I wanted to kill you. You would be dead." Jin lowered his sword, but still keeping his shield up. "All of you are full of openings."

"Jun, calm down." The young woman said with a worried voice. "Let's hear him first."

"She is right, Jun." The easygoing katana-wielder said. "And I kind of believe the guy when he says that he could kill us."

"Tsk, you're just a scared-cat, Shirou." Jun lowered his weapon, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Even if you say that we still have our reasons to distrust you." The spiked-haired man said with a stoic voice. He put his glaive back on his back and slowly walked towards Jin. "My name is Hotaru; could you please tell us yours?"

The sudden change of behavior of the young man brought a smile to the captain's lips. "My name is Jin, an honor to meet you all."

All four of them went silent, staring to the man with a blank expression on their faces.

"Jin?!" Shirou said with an excited voice. "That is so cool."

"You like my name?" Jin raised one eyebrow, feeling a bit curious about Shirou's reaction.

"Well, yeah?" Shirou said this time he is the one surprised by the red-haired one's reaction. "Is the first time I meet someone with the same name as a legend. Right, guys?" For Shirou's dismay, the other two glared unapprovingly to him, with only the girl nodding happily at his remark.

Then a mighty roar echoed throughout the forest, making the four of them jump startled. Large stomping steps sounding closer and closer to them.

"Shit, that thing is coming for us." Jun cursed angrily, his eyes looking to all sides in panic.

"Sorry to impose this, but could you come with us?" Hotaru turned to Jin with a serious expression. "It will be to your safety as well."

Their scared reaction served only to pick Jin's curiosity, what would be so powerful to make all four of them shake in fear, a part of him wanted to stay here and found out about this stomping monster.

" _Aibō, you should go with them."_ Yamato said in Jin's head _. "I can imagine what you are thinking right now, but first we should discover where we got tossed to."_

With a long sigh, Jin rested his hands to the side and nodded to Hotaru. "I will comply, so lead the way."

For the first time, Hotaru expressed something that resembled a smile. "I'm glad for your understanding." He then turned to look at his friends, his expression returning to its normal stoic way. "Let's move. We can't afford to get caught by the spider."

* * *

Their trip inside the dark forest lasted no more than five minutes; Hotaru led the group through the pathless way, running at full speed. After passing the last large purple colored tree, Jin felt an uncomfortable feeling taking over his chest, in front of them a very familiar gate came into view together with a destroyed bridge.

"Hey kid, where are we?" Jin asked the tall glaive-wielder, his eyes staring at Hotaru's back intensely.

"You don't know?" Hotaru asked surprised. "We just passed the Age of Nightmare, now entering Mahoroba Village."

"Haha, you are really lost huh?" Shirou said with a youthful laugh.

'Mahoroba?' Jin eyed the terrible state of the gate, the destroyed bridge in front of him and the collapsed large building blocking the main entrance. 'What happened here?'

"The old monkey is awake; we need to take the detour." Jun clicked his tongue after seeing a dust cloud coming up from the village's center.

"Old monkey?" Jin looked to the young man with long hair. Deep down he already knows what Jun is talking about, but he doesn't want to believe that he is correct on this one.

"Don't worry about, Jin-san." Kasumi smiled sweetly to him. "It won't notice us."

" _Jin, I can feel a dark presence inside Mahoroba."_ Arthur pointed out.

'I see… thank you, Arthur.' Jin frowned, his brain fuming trying to get up to a logical reason for what is happening here.

As Jun suggested, they took a long route around Mahoroba going down the path of the lake and climbing up close to the holy shrine, more exactly right behind an abandoned old house with giant wooden cogs timeworn and stuck in place.

The sight of Kurane's house abandoned, neglected and falling to pieces, almost broke the red-haired captain on the spot. Ignoring the kids around him, Jin silently wandered towards the house.

"What is he doing?" Jun asked annoyed. "Hey you, that is the wrong way."

Ignoring the angry complains of the angry kid, Jin continued walking until he reached the entrance door of the house, he placed one hand on the door side and only stared the empty and ruined interior of the house.

"Hey, Jin-san! The entrance is right here." Shirou called out with his usual happy voice.

" _Aibō… They are calling you."_ Yamato called out his friend, Jin's troubled expression was enough to make even the hero prince fall sadness build up inside of him.

"I heard them." With one last look towards the house he spent so many nights on, Jin turned around and followed the young warriors inside the secret cave below the Holy Shrine.

"Oooii, we are back!" Shirou yelled loudly, the spirited young man began to sprint his eyes upon the spiral stairs.

"There goes the loud-mouthed kid again." Jun sighed grumpily.

"Leave him be, there is no point getting angry with him at this point." Hotaru said in a stoic manner, a neutral expression on his face.

Kasumi let a quiet giggle, enjoying by herself Shirou's stunt and Jun's reaction.

As they crossed the backdoor behind the main hall, the group got a warm welcome from a little curious crowd that was waiting eagerly for them. A group of three little kids charged into Shirou, tackling him on the ground and then jumping on top of him.

"Calm down you three." A motherly and serene voice sounded from within the curious citizens. "Let Shirou-kun get a bit of rest."

The holy maiden of Mahoroba is a woman of fair pale skin and long silky white hair. Her eyes are orange-red and her face has a very kind and smooth appearance. She wears a long white ceremonial robe with golden leaves sewed along the royal cloth. On her back, she has a long white cape with a purple interior; a ceremonial golden crown leans on the back of her head with a thin golden cord serving as support on her forehead.

"I don't mind, Kaguya-sama." He replied with a huge grin and then began to a merciless barrage of tickles on the kids wrapped around him.

"Kaguya-sama." Hotaru bowed respectfully in front of the holy maiden. "Where is my father?"

"Right here!" A deep masculine voice sounded from behind Kaguya. "Found anything interesting outside?" A man with grizzly features stepped in, a holding a smile on his lips.

This older man has spiky and somewhat long hairs, with his age getting to him the black color of before is now turning into a dark grey tone. A red bandana hangs on his forehead and his eyes are sharp and focused, making his face expression very menacing to anyone that doesn't know him. He wears a dark green vest, with large red cloth-tapes on the inner side; under this vest, he uses a long-sleeved black shirt with tight leggings of the same color. On his feet, he wears hard leather battle sandals with brown protectors extending close to his knees. Lastly, he has a very peculiar necklace in a form of an old red and white fang with the red cord going around his neck.

"Father." Hotaru bowed again, this time with even more respect. "Actually we found someone." The young man's word made everyone freeze in shock, with the civilians eying him with worry, while Kaguya and his father looking at him with curious eyes.

Jin stepped forward, passing the three young ones in front of him. He has an awkward smile on his lips and a worried look on his eyes. "Hey there." He waved on hand in front of him, not sure of how he should act right now.

"Jin-san?!" Kaguya took both hands in front of her mouth, a shock expression on her face. "Is that really you?" The fair lady fell to her knees, a few tears appearing on her eyes.

"Son of a…" The man by her side stepped forward, standing in front of Jin. "Captain?!" He asked unsurely.

"Yeah, it's me. Homura." Jin's smile widened at the sight of his friend. "By the heavens, you look old-" He got ever so surprised when Homura leaned in and pulled him close with both arms, hugging Jin with force.

"You're back, you came back to us." Homura said with a mix of sad and glad reaction.

A few of the older citizens began to cry at the sight of their third captain standing in front of them, while the youngsters stared at the scene completely confused for why their parents are reacting like this.

"Old man Homura, do you know this guy?" Jun asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If I know him?" Homura snorted at the boy's question. "Damn right I do. He is my old friend, the damn best Slayer I ever met and my longtime lost captain." The chief of Mahoroba pulled himself away from Jin and looked to Jun. "Jun, this man is your father."

"What!?" Jun said in disbelief, his eyes going from Homura to Jin and then to Kaguya.

This information got not only Jun but all his friends, in surprise. They all stared in awe to the red-haired man in front of them. After so many legends and tales about the legendary third captain, Jin of the Hundred Demon Corps is standing here, right in front of them. Their little walk on the purple tree set in motion a chain of events that, without a doubt, will change everything on Mahoroba and maybe the whole war against the Oni.

* * *

 **Side notes:** _I will leave the description of some terms here, exactly like is explained on the game, so starting with:_

 ** _The_** _ **Slayers** : Warriors who have the ability to fight and defeat Oni. Chosen from birth, they possess immense physical and spiritual strength._

 _ **Oni** : A being which derives its own life force from devouring human souls. Large Oni are impervious to most weapons and possess infinite regenerative power. to defeat them, it is necessary to cut of their body parts, expose the essence within them, and destroy it through purification._

 _ **Mitama** : Mitama are the souls of herous from the past that were devoured by the Oni. You can free them by slaying an Oni that has captured them. They will imbue you with power to fight the Oni menace._

 _ **Miasma** : An Aura of vile, polluted air given off by all Oni, especially their carcasses or severed limps. The Otherworld is so filled with noxious miasma that only Slayers, who posses both the physical and spiritual strength to overcome it, can survive for more than a few minutes. When miasma builds up in a certain area of land, time and space begin to be warped there._

 _ **Miasma Hole** : A dimensional Knot that emits thick Miasma. Located deep in the Otherworld, they are considered to be one of the reasons for its expansion._

 _ **The Otherworld** : A land whose time and space have been warped by the arrival of the Oni during the Awakening. This land is under the control of Oni, and is where Slayers do battle with the forces of evil. Past ages have been recreated here through the corruption of time and space. This area is divided into six "Ages" such as the "Age of Peace" and the "Age of Honor"._

 **Demon Hand** : _A device that gives thoughts physical form, and also the name given to the giant hand that it can be used to create. It was developed by someone who calls themselves "The Professor," and who lives in Mahoroba Village._


	2. Chapter 2 - Our Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Toukiden** **or its characters.**

 **Author's Notes:** So... I wanted to write this chapter wayyy earlier, like one month earlier, But I had to play the game again, to get the feeling of it again and to make the story right. Sorry for the absurd long wait.

* * *

"Waaaah-wha-WHAT!" The youngster Katana wielder jumped forward, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. "You're Jun's father?! Then, you are…!" Shirou looked back to Kasumi, sparkly tears forming at the side of his eyes.

"A living legend." Hotaru exclaimed aloud and although his expression remains as cool and composed as ever, the fingers on his right hands are trembling ever so slightly as he reached up to rub his forehead.

As if every youth inside the cave was waiting for Hotaru's permission, they waited for his reaction first and then immediately rushed to the red-haired slayer side. Voices echoed like a rehearsed choir, sparkling eyes gawking at the man's figures like a saint has descended upon them. For the first time in what seems like forever, the cave beneath the holy shrine exploded with joy and noises, the battered survivors of Mahoroba giving little care to their usual strict policy about loud commotions.

"Wait a minute… Stop with your gagging all of you." Jun's voice roared louder than any other around him did, making the large room fall into a deep silence once again. "If this is some kind of joke or stunt you're pulling… this ain't funny, Homura." With an angrier tone than normal, Jun defiantly glared at Homura, gritting his teeth in agitation.

"Oi, Jun!" Hotaru instantly stepped in front of his hotheaded friend. "Watch your tone."

"Let the boy bark, Hotaru." Homura gave them both a twit smile, putting one hand in his waist. "Listen here, Jun. First, I was never someone of an elaborate sense of humor… don't see myself picking that habit at this age." The jaded leader sighed, shaking his head at the ferocious youngster antics. "Even if I were someone of with such wicked humor. I would never joke about this… not about Jin."

Jun glanced back to his supposed father, his long dark hair flocking in front of his right eye. "O-Once…" He stuttered. "Once you told me, that my father was older than you… a few years, but older nonetheless." With a frantic movement, Jun swung his right arm in the air, taking his index finger in an accusation position, aiming it at Jin. "How can that man be my father?"

Something stirred inside the red-haired captain as he looked at the young man's terrified-angry eyes. With a long and heavy sigh, Jin walked forward, poising himself closer to the boy. "I have to give this to the pot of angriness here." He pointed to the now fuming rookie slayer. "I don't have a son."

Despite his angry and fierce denial, the stranger's words stung like a flaming arrow on Jun's chest. His fierce glare shifted away from the captain, going down to the floor next to his feet. "See… My father is dead." With a tone of hurt showing in his cracked voice, Jun stormed away from the great hall, making his way up onto the next row of stairs and vanishing away from people's sight.

"Jun!" Kasumi clenched her chest with one hand. Always with a caring heart, the girl couldn't help herself but go after her friend. Shirou, who all this time, was only smiling and cheering; felt his surge of happiness dying out a little, reserving himself to only watch, as Homura walked next to his old friend.

"He will make you pay dearly for that." Homura said, giving a hard pat on Jin's shoulder. "Friend, we have a lot to catch up to."

"Especially the part where you're shoving a son onto me." Jin replied with a grin, yet his tone was completely serious. "Should we wait for the rest of the gang or what?" He eyed his searching his surrounding for all the familiar faces he is used seeing, yet finding only Kaguya, quietly watching from the corner.

"Haaa…" The chief closed his eyes, taking his hand away from the captain's shoulder and rubbing his eyes with two fingers. "Like I said… a lot of catch up to do." He looked over to his son and nodded; a clear signal that Hotaru picked up without fail.

"Okay everyone. That is enough commotion for one day." The stoic looking slayer clapped his hand right in the air, catching the people's attention. "The noon is almost on us and we still have a lot to do. So, back to work and let's give the chief some space." With the youngster commanding voice, the prying and curious crowd slowly spread out. Most going back to their duties, while some, mostly the younger ones, walked away just enough to be able to listen without disturbing anyone… Shirou, of course, was with the latter ground, as he found a nice and cozy spot with a wooden chair next to the wall.

"Please, take a seat here with me." Homura pointed to a little group of four little old wooden stools. He casually strolled over to one of the small seats with the former captain following close behind him. "Ah…" A long and slow sigh escaped the chief's lips, his eyes firming their gaze on the stoic image of his, now younger, friend. "Jeez, from where should I begin?"

"From any point that could make sense to me." Jin replied in all seriousness. "All long?" He bit his lips with hesitation as he asked.

"Twenty-two years." Homura replied without roundabouts.

"Gods…" Jin burrowed his face down on his hands. Even after a couple of travels between time itself, he can never get used to the idea of being ripped away from someplace just to be tossed onto a strange reality.

"Look, before anything else." Homura paused for a moment. "Six months after you disappeared, the Professor gave birth to her son; Jun. You know, the boy that you saw carrying her rifle."

Jin's body froze, he remained there with his face hidden for good four minutes, then raised his head ever so slowly. "Ohh… She has a son, huh… I wonder who was the crazy guy that softened her heart…" He responded with a very awkward little smile; the captain was never a good actor by any means, but even a child could see right through his façade right now.

"I was there, on the day she gave birth to the little guy." Homura said back, tilting his head just a bit to the right. "Hm… How did she say it? Oh, yeah. 'Jun… my pure ray of light. You will shine so bright, that will bring Papa back home.'" He noticed as his old friend features got just as bright as his hair-color, a sight that brought a grin to the older chief's face. "I always had my suspicions of you two, always sneaking out to her house at night... But it got more than confirmed when she literally told us who Jun's father was."

"If was my decision, I would have told the entire world." A soft smile popped into the captain's features. "Then, the boy really is…"

"Your son? Yes. That he is." Homura nodded just once, but with a lot of conviction. "Got her temper with your stubbornness, quite the mix."

A little something, that flew over Jin's head, finally dawn on him. He shifted his eyes to the young glaive wielder that is standing at a corner with this arms crossed. "He… is your son… The kid Benezuki was carrying within her just yesterday?" He nodded over to Hotaru.

"Hahaha, only realized that now?" Passing one hand over his grizzled fuzzy hair, the chief looked over to his son and smiled for a bit. "Hotaru is my elder son."

"Elder Son? You two had another one?" Jin got his response in the form of a head gestured and a shy little nod from Hotaru himself. "By the gods, only now is coming to me how much time has passed." A spontaneous laugh erupted from the man, contagious reaction that made lot others laugh with him. "The thought of so many drastic changes, albeit a little scary, is at the same time fun." With a little jump, the captain got up from his seat. "I can't wait to see Kurane's face. I bet she hasn't aged a day."

His words killed any happy mood inside the room. Homura's expression hardened up as he closed his eyed, while Kaguya held one hand to her mouth, doing her best so she would not cry… not again.

"Where is everyone?' Jin asked innocently.

"Jin… everyone that is left... is here." Homura felt a ting of pain for saying those words, to relieve that feeling of loss once again. However, what pushed him to bit his lower lip in desperation is the blank stare Jin is giving him, one he was quite used to wear himself.

"Wha-… Don't be ridiculous. I can only see you and Kaguya here." The captain crashed on his small seat again, his legs practically giving out on the weight of his body. "Homura… This isn't-"

"It is. As cold and cruel as it sounds, this is the reality." Homura said back with a pained voice. "They are gone."

"Where is she?" Jin's voice came out as a faint little whisper, his lips quivering and his eyes staring at nothing.

"Jin-san…" Kaguya jumped in the conversation, calling out to him with a lot of hesitation in her voice. "The professor… Kurane-san… She died."

Like a raging thunderclap, Jin's left foot exploded down on the floor. His body raised up and his head turned to the side in a flash, his eyes glaring fiercely at the white-haired maiden. "WHERE is she?!" His voice roared on the inside of the mountain, making the wooden pillars shake slightly with the vibrant rage in his tone.

"Age of peace." Homura spoke up, drawing upon him the red angry eyes of his old companion. "She lured a horde away from us… buying enough time to save the villagers and block the valley's entrance." Homura lowered his head, a long sigh coming from him again. "We couldn't retrieve her body… Forgive me, I couldn't risk any more lives."

Everything went dark inside Jin's head. All the faces around him, all the voices and hopeful gazes aiming at him, everything disappeared. He did not scream, shout or even spoke a word. Instead, he clenched the hold on his black shield, and turned his heels onto the upper stairs' direction, without any warnings or any words, the desperate captain rushed out of the room, stomping away without a real destination but with a very clear objective in his mind.

"Hotaru, grab your weapon and follow me." Homura jumped from his sit, dashing like a flash himself toward an old weapon chest. "Shirou, go upstairs and call out every slayer to the shrine's entrance. Everyone else, stay right here."

"All the slayers?!" Shirou jumped from his chair, his eyes getting wide open with surprise. "Even the rookies?" He asked unsure of the orders.

"You are all rookies, just go!" Homura roared his order this time, which made the easygoing samurai dash in panic toward the stairs.

"Father… What are we doing?" Hotaru asked with the same hesitation Shirou had just before.

Homura looked at his son with an agitated gaze but quickly softened his features as he walked close to the stern-looking young slayer. "Having one last shot at taking our home back." He replied with a genuine and hopeful smile. He trailed his gaze over to the upper stairs, frowning a slightly as he did. 'Forgive me Jin… It was necessary.'

* * *

"You want to talk about it?" Kasumi asked with a soft voice. After her friend stormed out of the lower room, the always-caring girl came after him and sat down next to him on the cold floor next to the staircase. "Jun, I don't think he meant what he said."

"How so?" He turned his face to look at her, throwing a mixture of angry and saddened glare. "He has no son; the man himself spat that out."

"Maybe he doesn't know?" She tried to argue another point, her voice carrying a little more pity on them that she would like to show. More than anyone else, Kasumi knows how much Jun's hates when anyone takes pity on him. "You should talk to him."

A low growl came out in frustration; the raven-haired slayer looked to the other side with a deep frown locked in his features. "This doesn't matter. As I said before, my father is dead." With a jolt of his head, Jun looked back to his friend, a firm determination in his eyes. "He died to me, on the same day that my mother died… At least, my hopes of ever finding him."

Biting her lips with a turmoil of emotions, Kasumi slowly slid her hand into his direction. "Jun…" As much as she wanted to pull him up and drag him to the room below them, Kasumi also understood his feeling to a certain level. Therefore, she chose to support him quietly by his side. With a gentle movement, the young spear-wilder placed her right hand on top of his left hand, the grumpy slayer grunt quietly at first, frowning even more in reaction but slowly warmed up to her touch even moving his hand enough to intertwine their fingers together.

A roaring voice stormed from below, startling the two younglings. In reaction, Jun pulled himself apart from their intimate moment. Soon enough, heavy and loud steeping sounds began to echo from downstairs, in moment's notice the flickering image of a tall, shirtless, red-haired man popped from the staircase. With the look of a devil in his eyes, Jin stormed from the fragile wooden steps. The captain barely paid any attention to the lone couple on the room, as he wildly dashed at full speed toward the shrine's entrance, kicking the door open with a fierce kick.

Jun jumped on his feet, his eyes showing the shock that is taking over him. "What? What is he doing?" He asked. Seeing the door of their seclude home wide open, terrified the young slayer to his core, for if he can see the ruins of Mahoroba Village so the thing outside would be able to see them.

Kasumi stepped closer to her friend, grabbing his left arm and partially hiding behind him as she looked to the clouded sky outside the old shrine.

"JUN! KASUMI!" Shirou jumped from the staircase leading to the lower room, the frantic boy barely spared a moment to look to his companions, before dashing towards the next stairs, those leading to the upper floors. "Wait on the entrance!" The young samurai shouted as he ascended to the next floor with haste.

"Now what?" Jun glanced to Kasumi in confusion, who shook her head just as confused as he is.

"At least, let's check on Jin-san." She said carefully, calling the captain by his name and not as Jun's father, so she would not upset him even more.

With a little hesitation in his replying nod, Jun turned around and quietly dashed to the entrance door lying wide open. He and Kasumi stepped onto the old stone steps and instantly caught sight of the red-haired captain. "Is he insane?" He asked in all sincerity. "First that man storms out of the shrine like a demon and now… what is he doing?" He pointed out the fact that after dashing out of the building in the hurry of the century, Jin is now casually strolling down the stairs to the ruined village. Any trace of hastiness was completely gone from his behavior.

"He is locking down on his target." Homura stepped out of the holy shrine and stopped just ahead of the two young slayers; Hotaru also accompanying his father, but staying way behind, right next to the heavy wooden doors. "At this point, they are both engaged already."

"And that means?" Jun spat his question without taking his gaze away from the red-haired man, who by this point is entering the first inner wall of the abandoned little center district.

Homura didn't respond with words, instead, he raised the tip of his iron whip; pointing to the southern end of Mahoroba. All the rookies followed his direction and their eyes adjusted to the hazy fog in the air, a dark red fur became apparent behind the large collapsed house on the former samurai district, they noticed the source of their struggles and nightmares, staring hungrily and full of evil intents to the brave slayer walking down the city' center.

"Father?" Hotaru asked and although his voice his serene as ever, Homura picked the tingle of nervousness in his tone.

Before the chief could make a decision about giving a proper reply or just ignore his son. Shirou rushed out of the shrine with other four youngsters following him. They all looked scared and euphoric, the sensation of being so out in the open slowly overwhelming most of the four newcomers.

"All of you, listen up!" Without any reasons to conceal their presence anymore, Homura let his voice ring loud and clear startling every single one of his inexperienced pupils. "I had once promised you that I would show in real combat how a slayer should port themselves. For many reasons and for your own safety, I never had the guts to actually take any of you into the hell that is outside…" Feeling that his tongue was starting to blur out more than it should, Homura gave a shake of his head, a short grin appearing on his lips. "Today everyone here will share a little vision of hell." With a quick turn, the grizzly chief parted his gaze from the impending fight and looked back to his protégées. "No matter what happens, you will not leave this place." He pointed to the large stony-square on the top of the stairs. "No running inside with fear and no running down with heroic intents."

No one responded. They are either way too shocked to give a reply or way too unsettled to voice their thoughts.

"DID I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" Homura's angry and commanding voice roar loudly once again. This time, all rookies shifted their gaze onto him and nodded firmly with their heads. "Good." The chief spared them a satisfied little smirk as he prepared his weapon. "Hotaru, you will help me guard the stairs. I will take the left side, you take the right one."

Hotaru looked at his father with unsure eyes. He held his glaive tight to his chest, pressing his lips together as he did.

Seeing the clear discomfort and doubt in his son's eyes, Homura stepped over in his direction and stopped right in front of him. With a strong clap of his right hand onto the younger slayer left shoulder, he gave a sincere smile to him. "It will be fine, you can handle it."

The confident light in his father's eyes made short work of Hotaru's hesitation. He nodded firmly and smiled back in response, holding his glaive more than ready to perform his duty.

"Hold up." Jun's voice echoed in the deadly silence that is now floating around Mahoroba. "Why are you taking only Hotaru?" His voice carried more than just plain confusion, as a little jealousy crept up in his thoughts. "Old man Homura, he isn't the only one that can handle himself in a fight."

"This isn't about that, Jun." Homura replied with another tired sigh. "And you are the one that needs to watch this the-" A thundering sound erupted from below. The large Oni jumped from his hiding stop, landing right in front of Jin on the main street of the village. "No matter what happens, all of you stay here." Homura warned with a threatening voice, he then clapped his son on his back, motioning for the young glaive wielder to follow him and so they both started to walk down the long stairs.

* * *

' **This evil energy... there is no mistake.'** Arthur's voice resonated within Jin's head. **'The creature is sapping the life out of Mahoroba.'**

As if the words of the ancient hero had not been ushered, Jin continued walking with a slow pace without giving a single thought as a reply.

' **Oi Jin, don't go mind numbed on us.'** Now Beowulf's voice ringed, the hero of old practically shoved the slayer with his harsh tone of voice.

"I heard ya, both of ya." He stopped right in front of where once was his simple house, his red eyes burning with unparalleled hatred as he stared at the Oni far away. "Sorry, I don't have in me to give any assertion right now." He firmed his grasp on his sword's hilt and poised the weapon to the monster' direction.

With a chilling silence preluding the utter chaos, a giant shadow loomed over from the sky. In a moment, the large Oni crashed down on the old street, his dark eyes gazing down at the men in front of him with a wicked interest.

A Leohomin, with an impressive size even to his species, is the beast that jumped out from the shadows. The large Oni cracked his right knuckle, taunting his pray to get the first move. _ **"I can smell your scent, a new scent around here."**_ A malicious wind escaped from the old ape' mouth, a mimic of a grin shaping his monstrous and cracked lips. _**"In a place which reeks of fear and despair, this one smells different… What is it?"**_

Clenching his weapon even more, the slayer felt a tinge of pain stir his insides. The rugged skin of his hand' palm wriggling to the point of tearing a soft and little cut wound from the hard handle of his dark sword. "I thought you apes only spat acid bombs, never knew you could spit rubbish as well."

A pure evil crackling laughter erupted from Leohomin. _**"Tough talk, sharp tongue."**_ With a jolt of his bulking arm, the monstrous ape pulled the half-right of his body backward, bending himself in a very awkward position. _**"I will tear you apart!"**_ His massive hand came flying behind, twirling his entire body forward and onwards the slayer.

In the most gracious of movements, Jin stepped to his left side, casually dodging the Oni' messy attack. A layering of hot sweat escaped Leohomin's red fur, drops of the warm fluid being the only part of the monster that managed to land on the man's body, more precisely on his left arm.

Jin clicked his tongue in frustration and irritation. Instead of running further away from the monster, the experienced slayer jumped forward. He slid down the metal strap of his shield down on his arm, the cold metallic surface scrapping his bare pale skin, leaving deep marks on it. As if he had barely felt anything, the former-captain held the grip his black short blade with both hands and in a clean falcon swoop, cleaved upwards with his weapon.

A distinguished ringing sound spread over the streets, dark purple blood showered the ground and a massive and corrupted arm fell down on the stained street stones. One cut, one precise strike was all that he needed to split the Oni's arm in twain.

"No, monster…" Jin growled quietly as more to himself than to taunt the creature. "I will tear YOU apart." With masterful control of his weapon, the red-haired warrior swung his blade to the side, shooting the purple blood away from the blade, and then he poised the sword next to his right cheek, separating his legs in a perfect stance.

* * *

"H-H-Holy Shit!" Shirou shouted at the top of his lungs. His eyes sparkled with a world of admiration as he saw the legendary slayer cut the Oni's warm in one strike.

"Who in the heavens is that man?" A small and fragile looking young man stepped closer to the stairs. While his bright blue eyes are stunned in pure shock, his hands are trembling with excitement, with hope. As one of the rookies Shirou called out from the upper levels, he is a new face on the group of young Slayers. A youngster of a small frame, but vivid expression, he carries very soft features in his face, almost feminine ones, with his long and spread black ponytail embellishing, even more, his already pretty face.

"Sheesh, I didn't tell you guys?" Shirou scratched the back of his head, giving a little silly smile as an apology. "Makoto! That man fighting down there is non-other than the Legendary Third Captain, Jin!"

With his eyes finally setting themselves free from the ongoing fight, Makoto trailed his gaze back to the spirited young samurai, seeing no lies in his friend, he then turned his gaze even further back, to the long-black haired young man watching the fight at the back of the group. "So he-."

"Brother!" Kasumi's words ringed loudly. The caring girl glared at Makoto, her eyes burning on him only one message; 'Don't say anything else.' And so he did, the smaller man turned his sight back to the fight, dropping the subject quickly by her older-sister' demands.

" _ **Groooaaaah! Kill, Kill, Kill! I will chomp you into pieces!"**_ Frustrated and in profound irritation, the Leohomin held the stump where his arm once was, shouting in his demonic voice in a childish venting scandal. However, his murderous cries didn't only manage to startle the young Slayers but also call and stir up other smaller Oni around the village. As so, a large group of corrupted imps trotted their way in from the side gapes of the little town, stomping furiously onto the Holy Shrine' way.

"What the hell?! Oni's can talk?!" Shirou felt his mouth go agape in terror with the discovery. His fellow companions getting as startled as him, but choosing to hold their surprise without speaking any words.

"Father, Brother!" A thin girl, holding a similar glaive to the one Hotaru carries, stepped forward. She felt a terrible chill on her spine as she watched her family engage against the group of menacing monsters. The youngster member of the chief family is a young female slayer with a weak posture and shy demeanor. While she has a fairly well built and ladylike body, the left side of her face is scarred with a terrible burning scar, going from the corner of her lips all the way up to her forehead, leaving almost no smooth skin on that part of her face. In consequence of the event that gave her such marking wound, the left side of her head is completely shaven which she combs her long black hair to cover the naked spot.

"Yuki!" Jun called out her name, quickly reaching with one of his hands onto her shoulders. "The chief is the best Slayer we had ever known; your brother is half-decent himself. Put a little fate in them." In his own way, the grumpy youngster gave a form of assurance to the girl, who looked at him conflicted, but still nodded in confirmation that she would not move down to help them.

Another roaring screech echoed on the streets of Mahoroba, Leohomin completely changed his previous behavior, becoming more feral and unpredictable. The Oni bashed from the right, clawed from the left, one attack after another missing even more spectacularly than the last one, the hideous ape screaming on an infernal rage, the frustration of not landing a proper hit on its prey, making large veins bulge at the side of his large dark eyes.

Leohomin deformed teeth clacked together as he slammed his still good arm on the ground, a cloud of earth rising in front of Jin. With his field of view reduced to almost nothing, the slayer backed himself against the wall of a ruined house, keeping his shield ready to parry any attempt of the monster. However, before the man could even notice anything, the entire building instantly collapsed next to him, a massive hand coming flying out of it and smacking at a furious speed against the captain's chest.

Like a loose arrow, the shirtless red-haired slayer went flying from the middle of the streets all the way to the sturdy structure of the Holy Shrine's base. Without any protection and no meaning of averting the impact, Jin got slammed hard against the stones, sending many of them flying all around, his body getting deep buried inside the base.

"By the gods!" Kasumi yelped. The young woman clenched her hands next to her chest, dreading every ill thought that is flooding her head right now.

"Jin-san!" Shirou grasped the large wall at the edge of the floor, he tried his best to look down at the hole where Jin is, but could barely see the mess of stones right in front of it.

Jun kept a calm atmosphere around him and voiced no thoughts of his, but the young slayer held the fabric of his shirt with deadly apprehension, a subtle little frown coming down on his features.

" _ **Not so tough now, huh?!"**_ The red maddened ape shouted as he pounded on his large chests. _**"An insect will always be an insect."**_ Leohomin changed his gaze upwards onto the top of the shrines, his malevolent eyes locking on the figures watching him from above. _**"And like every insect, your only purpose…"**_ The creature dug his remaining large hand down on the ground, and carefully pulled out a large round boulder within his iron-tight grasp. _**"Is to be SQUASHED!"**_ With a wild throw of his upper body, the monstrous Oni hurled the stone at full speed towards the group of rookie Slayers.

"GET DOWN!" Homura's voice full of panic stormed up the stairs. He moved his arms in a firm stance, cutting down a group of imps that were running at him.

"Oh shit!" A female slayer with a short straight hair, jumped back while tugging the arm of another female slayer. The two girls embraced each other in a tight and protective hug, closing their eyes as the boulder's shadow loomed over their heads.

From the dark crater at the base of the shrine, a green ghostly demonic hand flew up in the air, grabbing hold of the massive rock in its clutch. Jin jumped out of the hole he was stuck in with a long ethereal cord extending out of his left hand all the way up to the demon hand; pushing the weight of his body into a full swing of his arm, Jin sling the boulder back at the Oni, the sheer force of his action cracking the thing at all parts, it finally splintering into pieces as it clashed against Leohomin's face.

Every rookie slayer felt themselves admiring the image of that red-haired man. Who despite clashing furiously against the hard surface of a mountain, appears completely unscathed, and even more impressing is how effortless the just saved all of them.

"Is that man… even human?" The girl with short hair pulled herself away from the other one ever so slightly. Her eyes sparkling with admiration just as Shirou' eyes always do.

"Izumi, for the first time of your life, you have asked something of use." Jun said without much thought, and his words earned him a fierce heated glare from the short-haired slayer. "Is that person, human?" He stared down as his supposed father landed on the broken streets again, sword and shield ready to strike.

* * *

"Thank you, Arthur." Jin said with a sigh of relief.

" **Whenever you require, my shield will be a bastion of safety."** Arthur replied with a proudful tone, the faint light of his powers slowly vanishing from around the Slayer's body.

" **For how long are you going to play with that thing?"** Beowulf' words ringed inside Jin's head. Once again, the old king is more than livid with slayer odd behavior.

" **He is right, aibō."** A glimpse of Yamato' silhouette appeared next to Jin. **"That beast is a danger to Mahoroba, even more so than any other Oni."**

"Ahh… I know that." He lowered his head in exasperation. "I will have to mourn, after cleaving that thing down."

" **Ha-ha!, Now you've spoken like a true warrior."** With jovial laughter, Beowulf mentally patted his chosen slayer. **"Say the words and we will finish this together."**

In a serious and firm single nod, Jin raised his sword tackling its side on top of his shield surface. "Beowulf, break the soul of our enemy."

" **My Shield as your fortress and My Sword as your strength."** Beowulf's words echoed true even around Jin's surroundings.

"I shall slay the darkness before me!" Jin exclaimed loudly

" **We shall break its evil core, cleave its darkened flesh and purify this land of its spreading corruption!"**

"Grraaaaaaaaaaaah!" Both sword and shield enlightened in a blinding light, white and golden lightning flying out from the weapons' edge. Moving his arms in a full gracious arc, Jin unleashed the energy stored on his body, in a bright half-moon beam of energy. The magic projectile flew in an instant, the sharp luminescent blade of the moon hitting the Oni directly on its upper-body, burning and cutting its chest and brutally severing the creature' other arm.

An explosion of purple fog and dark light erupted from the monster' body. His essence fleeing from the huge gaps open in its corporeal shell. **"HUUUURRTS! It hurts, it hurts, IT HURTS!"** The intensity of the light getting even stronger, the purple smock taking a physical form, attaching itself to the bits and part of the Oni's body where he had been cut and crippled, renewing his form and increasing his power. An inhuman scream escaped Leohomin's cracked lips; now with his body healed and reshaped in an even more monstrous form, coated in purple glint. In an awkward movement of hits legs, the old ape jumped in the air and then landing on a group of houses next to the slayer, with any cohesive thought in his head now dominated by a primal rage, the Oni began to bash and clap every structure around him, going as far as to jump far away to the other side of the little village and continue smashing more abandoned houses.

" **Aibō, his true body is exposed. Shall I take my place at your side now?"** A little flicker of Yamato's light appeared next to his partner.

"Wait, Yamato." The red-haired slayer held his left arm in front of him, a clicking noise ticking as a sharp blade popped out of the tip of his shield. "I will break the rest of his shell, then you jump out of me."

" **Aa… as you wish."**

Sparing not a single second in repose, the red-haired warrior dashed his way through the rubble of wood and stone. His fierce gaze completely locked on the massive figure way on the back of the Village, rampaging inside the old samurai district. In his zealous pursuit, Jin failed to spot a burbling little pool beneath a thin wooden screen and as his feet landed on the soft surface, the little pool expanded into a powerful explosion of acid and steam. With no support to hold into, the slayer went flying onto the air, his body spinning out of control, dizzying his mind for a moment.

" _ **Didn't forget about you."**_ Leohomin jumped from his spot, his body landing just below the ragging down that is now the Slayer. The monster assumed a strange stance, his upper body waving to one side and his lower body going to the other, in a form of drunk martial art. With a relentless hurl of his entire being, Leohomin clashed the back of his hairy leg on top of Jin's chest, sending the man crashing down onto the dusty floor. **"Haaaah-hehehe. Fly little bug. Fly!"**

" **Aibō, are you okay?"** Yamato' question went without a reply for good long seconds, as his partner remained buried in between the remains of a destroyed building. **"OI, JIN!"**

"I'm fine Yamato…" While the captain valiantly remained conscious, he is a long shot away from fine. Little rough-cut wounds opened all around his arms and even some on his legs, his muscles took a sudden and violent impact from the fall making some of them stiff others even numb. However, the worst part is the wide laceration right below his left shoulder blade, the blood leaking from it has already managed to stain a large part of his back.

" **I am so sorry Jin, my power hasn't returned to me yet. I couldn't protect you from that."** Arthur said in an apologetic tone, and despite the Mitami still being exhausted from his last outburst, he did his best to transfer enough energy onto the slayer' large wound, managing to at least close most of it.

"I know Arthur; this is not your fault." Jin felt the immense pain on his back disappear, leaving only a faint throbbing sensation. "Never underestimate an old ape, huh?" Another huge boulder came flying on Jin's way, the slayer barely managed to jump away from the attack. Then Leohomin hurled the trunk of a large dead tree at the flying warrior, who quickly grabbed onto the tree with his demon hand and jumped over it as well.

" **What now kid?"** Beowulf's voice resonated from within. **"Like old Arthur here, I still got nothing to offer."**

The Oni rolled forward, moving in its drunken movement pattern, he came from the left swinging one arm wildly and then sweeping the floor with his long right leg. Jin ducked over the fast incoming arm and jumped above the leg, passing just between each limb with precision. With his long red-hair flocking in the air, he roll-landed behind the monster, jumping a few more spots backward to create a safe distance.

"Tsk. Yamato, forget about the shell." With a sigh of frustration, the captain wiped a sweat drop from his forehead. He glared dangerously at the monstrous ape, thinking carefully about his next course of action.

A blurred copy image of Jin appeared by his side, the doppelganger holding his sword and shield more than ready to engage the target. **"At your command, Aibō."** Yamato took a long step forward, bending his left knee enough to make a proper long jump.

"We will go with Mangetsu." Jin posed at his partner side, bending his right knee in contrast.

" **Mangetsu?"** Yamato shifted his gaze from the monster to Jin. His distraught voice making both Arthur and Beowulf grunt in apprehension. **"Without your armor, that is too dangerous!"**

"Then I will go with Hangetsu by myself." With a click of his tongue, Jin took off.

" **Oi!"** Frustrated and ignored, Yamato hastily did the same.

The slayer dropped in front of Leohomin' left leg, instantly starting with a diagonal downwards cut. Yamato landed on the right one, copping the same action as his partner. Annoyed by the fast little cuts happening over and over again, on his lower members, the Oni tried to stomp the insects beneath his large feet, only to be stabbed from below by both blades at the same time.

" _ **Aarrgh, annoying little bugs. I will blow you to pieces."**_ Beyond irritated, Leohomin opened his dark and twisted mouth as wide as he could, unleashing a volley of acid saliva all around. The monster continued vomiting his explosive bile until a massive pool of it had amassed itself on the ground.

With a spiral jump, Jin flew as high as the Oni's head. He tossed his left arm back and then flung it forward, the green ghostly hand shooting from him and latching onto the thing' long horns. "Prove a bit of your own stupid venom." Putting his entire strength on his arm, the captain slayer hurled the monster downward, smashing his head against the explosive pool.

A gigantic explosion followed with a force so intense that fired the large Oni higher than any building still around the village. A blur of red ascended after the creature, a dark imposing blade stained by dark blood shone against the dusk' sunlight. "Hangetsu no…" A yellow bright light flared on Jin's shield-blade, he smashed the open against the Ape's large torso pushing all that energy onto the impact point.

For a moment, a look of panic flashed on the Oni's features and then… he laughed. _**"Ha, hahaha. All that bravado for this?"**_ He nodded with his head to the little wounded spot where Jin's blade is. _**"An insect will always be-"**_ The little dark wound spread around Leohomin's corrupted flash, it started with a simple line, then it parted into two directions, going round and around his belly and chest, making a living scar in the shape of a half-moon.

" **Mangetsu no…"** Yamato as Jin's mirage, landed on top of the beast as well, his blurred dark blade slamming right next to the original one. In a mere second, the scar rephrased into an entire moon, a red light exploding from both blades and infusing itself inside the wound.

" _ **Eh?"**_ Leohomin looked down to his body, dark blood dripping down from his mouth and eyes.

" **Sutoraiki!"**

"Sutoraiki!"

Both Slayer and Mitama shouted at the same time and with the same intensity. The moon formed by their combined attack flashed with a bright light and expanded from the inside. In a gore explosion of blood and dark corruption, Leohomin's back exploded from within, leaving a massive gaping hole covering the creature' entire torso. Sadly the devastation made by Jin's attack didn't stop there, the red overflowing energy flying out of the already dead monster, continued to fly at full speed, hitting the samurai district like a raging storm… as the dust settled a few moments before, not a single house was left standing.

* * *

"Father?!" Hotaru yelped in surprise as the earth itself began to shake. The young slayer ducked below a sweeping claw from a raging imp and severed the little creature's head.

"Stay calm. That is just Jin's Mangetsu… Damn after so long, I'm still amazed every time I see it." Homura whipped his weapon in an arc, killing more than four imps in one strike. However, as where those fell, six more appeared to take their place. "What an annoying pests…"

The tick miasma layer floating on the air in Mahoroba suddenly disappear. With an explosion of white, all negative energy that was oppressing the area dissipated. At first, the smaller imps growled in surprise, they looked at the clear atmosphere dawning upon then and promptly freaked out. Then the taller and most aggressive imps and Oni also entered a state of panic, in their cries of fear they all turned around and dashed like wild animals to the destroyed front gate of Mahoroba, fleeing as fast as they could.

Sweating and breathing hard, Hotaru looked at the scene speechless. He glanced at his father, who looked back at him and smiled.

"Rejoice, son." Homura said in relief and tiredness. "It is over… Mahoroba is ours once again."

Overwhelmed by his father's words, the usually stern and composed young man felt his eyes get flooded with tears, warm tears of happiness. For the first time, ever since he lost his mother, Mahoroba, no, Humanity has grasped their first win against the Oni menace.

"Oooii, Homura-san!" Shirou shouted in his full hyperactive mode. The young samurai, together with everyone else is sprinting down the steps. "Homura-san, did you see it? Did you… Did he… Did we win?"

"Damn Shirou, turn down a bit." Jun hissed at his friend. "Sometimes you're more noisy than those imps."

"Aaah, screw you Jun. We just won!" The easygoing samurai jumped all the way down the remaining steps, landing next to Hotaru. His lips parted in a bright, white grin. "We won…" He said looking to Hotaru, who despite wiping away his tears still has his eyes looking very much red.

"Aa… It seems so." Hotaru replied, putting one of his hands onto his younger friend, making Shirou cry on the spot.

"Where is the man going?" Makoto pointed to the now demolished samurai district. He noticed the red-haired man jump from one destroyed house to another, going at full speed onto the village' gate.

"Jin-san?!" Kasumi looked at the running captain, her brows furrowing in disbelief.

"He will go after them…" The gently and sweet voice of the Holy Maid sounded from behind the group.

"Kaguya-sama?!" Shirou wiped his wet eyes, burning red with embarrassment. "Why? What are you doing here?"

Kaguya glanced down to the young samurai and greeted him with her beautiful smile. "I was watching the battle, just behind you guys." She averted her eyes to the now gone captain. "I always had faith in him."

"Haah…" Homura sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his head. "Today is going to be a blood moon." He said with a bittersweet expression.

"Yes… it will be." Kaguya replied with a bit more sadness in her voice than the chief did. "It pains me to see Jin-san like that… But at least for one day, let those monsters know what fear is."

Homura chuckled at her words, imagining an entire horde of Oni running away in fear of one man chasing after them. He then shifted his eyes to the blank expression of the rookie Slayers and a full spirited laughter erupted from him. "None of you have no clue of what we're talking about, huh?" His words caught the youngsters off guard, their eyes giving away their confusion. "When a lot of blood is spilled on a day, their taint flies in the air, making the moon' light shine with a strange color… a reddened color. We call it, a blood moon."

"Wait, isn't that bad?" The girl with short hair said loudly, she looked at her friend with an even more confused face.

"Well, usually it is." Homura said with a light humoring tone. "But today is those vermin's blood that will flow into the air. As little Kaguya said… Let them know fear."

* * *

 ** _Side notes:_** _Leohomin has a music Battle Theme of his own, and it is pretty good. You can find it on youtube pretty easily if you want a bit of more atmosphere in his fight._

 ** _Reviews:_**

Greywing44 chapter 1 . May 1 – Thank you for your review. I always really wanted to see something with Toukiden, and then I just decided to do it myself. I would not continue this project; since it has very little interest from most people, but I can continue writing this one if someone wants to read it.

sleepyjaybird chapter 1 . May 15 – Hey, thanks again for your kind words. I'm happy that you liked this story, since I loved writing the first chapter of it. I hope you like this one as well.


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